This chicken curry is a family recipe that I grew up eating many Sundays. Our family mostly ate vegetarian meals while Sundays were special for non vegetarian meals. I might fall short of words trying to describe my mom’s chicken curry. This is not your usual restaurant curry. It is a perfectly spiced curry with earthy flavors from the spices, a comfort food and a treasured recipe packed with mom’s love! Continue reading “Mom’s Chicken Curry – Instant Pot”→

Mom’s Garam Masala – I cannot believe that I am finally writing an actual post about this amazingly aromatic, out-of-the-world garam masala recipe!! This is a family recipe that is being used for generations and this is my attempt to preserve some of the family traditions as a legacy.

As mentioned in my simple garam masala recipe, every family has their own version of garam masala and I couldn’t be happier to finally share the one from my family! In many maharashtrian families this kind of masala is also referred to as ‘Goda masala’. My mom uses this garam masala to make the authentic and delicious recipes like chicken curry, stuffed eggplant or black eyed peas curry!

Kheema Pav – A popular street food in India, Kheema or Keema Pav is a robust, peppery curry dish made with minced chicken or lamb cooked with onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and earthy spices! Served with lightly toasted buns or pav laden with butter or homemade ghee on the griddle makes a blissful meal!

My mom arrived last week from India, she is visiting me after a long time and I am SO excited to have her with us. With her high spirits and energy, she has already tried her hand on the Instant Pot that she has been hearing all about. It’s been only 4 days since she has arrived and she is already loving the InstaPot! Her Pot in Pot black-eyed peas curry with rice was savored by all. She steamed the Cilantro Croquettes and the Layered Swiss Chard Spiral rolls to perfection for our fathers days feast.

From the back of the camera as I shot this video it took me back to the fond memories of my childhood. Her waiting for the oil to heat up and then adding the cumin seeds, listening for the soft sizzle sound and a whiff from gently toasting them. Adding turmeric and roasting the spices at each step, soon filled up my kitchen with wonderful aromas. The Final dish, came out just the way I remember her making Chicken Kheema for years, just that this time it was cooked in the Instant Pot.

Obviously, I need to gear up with my publishing now to keep up with her cooking. I am so excited to post her first recipe on Ministry Of Curry that I was able to record!

A few options she suggests are:

Add 1/2 cup of green peas to the curry

Peel and dice a potato and saute it with the veggies. This will give more thickness to the curry if desired.

Add 1-2 spicy green chilies for a spicier keema.

I was very impatient and hungry (as usual) as I shot the video and honestly, the Keema Pav was so full of flavor and aromas that I did not miss any a thing! The gorgeous orange hue from the Kashmiri red chili powder and turmeric, the warmth from the homemade garam masala and the earthy flavors from roasted coriander powder were spot on!

Traditionally made in a clay oven{tandoor}, which many of us have now adapted to outdoor grills, indoor ovens and now the moistest version of all is the luscious and spicy Tandoori Chicken – Instant Pot!

Hope you had a great Memorial day weekend! We had a FUN long weekend – we got to hang out with our cousins, played soccer tournament and ran a 5K race. Although it rained all day in the northeast and was bit chilly for the memorial day BBQ, we did not give up on our plans. We decided to bring our cookout indoors. We had chicken marinating for 8+ hours, that I cooked in my InstaPot. The result was succulent, fall off the bone, moist and flavorful tandoori chicken, that we enjoyed with some spicy mint chutney and corn pulao!

Tandoori Chicken, marinate uses plain yogurt, mild and bright red Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, fresh ginger, garlic and garam masala. The longer it is marinated the more flavorful the chicken tastes. Although you can use chicken breasts or thighs to make Tandoori Chicken, my favorite way is to cook with the drumsticks.

Here is a quick video for an easy Tandoori Chicken recipe in Instant Pot:

Dry skinned drumsticks with a paper towel. Put 2-3 slits on each drumstick and apply marinade all over the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking.

Add 1 cup water to the Instant Pot insert. Lightly grease the trivet with cooking oil and place inside the pot. Arrange the marinated Chicken pieces on the trivet.

Close Instant Pot with the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Manual(Hi) for 15 mins followed by Natural Pressure Release. Open Instant Pot.

Enjoy Tandoori chicken with lime wedges and chutney over steamed rice or Pulao.

Note: You can broil the cooked chicken for a few mins. We enjoyed them straight out of the Instant Pot!

Vegetable and Paneer Biryani – A classic Indian one pot meal that is full of flavors and aromas from whole spices, garam masala and the long grain basmati rice.

I have been trying to perfect my vegetable biryani in the Instant Pot for months now. After the success of my InstaPot Chicken Biryani recipe in just a few tries, I was surprised to see how much different it was to cook vegetable Biryani in the Instant Pot. Although I was using the same rice and similar spices, it took many failed attempts (mushy rice, undercooked rice, mushy veggies etc) before I got the technique right. The key was to choose the right kind of vegetables and also more importantly cut them right so they all cook within 6 mins of pressure cooking time. Continue reading “Vegetable and Paneer Biryani – Instant Pot”→

Chicken Biryani – The epitome of a one-pot meal made with aromatic basmati rice, tender chicken, spices and herbs that is cooked over low heat for the most delectable flavors.

Chicken Biryani is one of my most favorite dishes and definitely one of the most requested meals at my house. I say meal because you have your proteins and grains all together and you really don’t need anything else to accompany this dish. There are many variations of this recipe that originate in several states of India. My favorite, of course, is the one made by my mom that I grew up eating. I distinctly remember the day when her friend came over to teach her how to make “Dum Biryani”. They spent almost half of the day grinding fresh spices, frying batches of caramelized golden onions and then cooking the chicken marinated in yogurt and spices over long grain basmati rice. It was cooked on a low setting in a large pot with a tightly sealed lid. They actually sealed the lid with dough to make sure it was airtight! Hours passed. We all waited for the big reveal and when the lid opened our entire home was filled with a warm, deep spiced aroma. That was possibly the most heavenly biryani I have ever had. Thankfully, we had enough leftovers and it was surprising to see how much more the flavors developed the next day. Continue reading “Chicken Biryani – Instant Pot”→

Aloo Gobhi – Our go to weeknight curry, with cauliflower and potatoes cooked with onions, tomatoes and some of our favorite spices! I have started making aloo gobhi in my Instant Pot and I am amazed to see how perfectly tender the cauliflower and potatoes cook in a short time. Continue reading “Aloo Gobhi – Instant Pot”→

I have been trying different recipes in the Instant Pot and I am truly loving the flavors and the ease of use. One of the best dishes I have made is the stuffed baby eggplants in Instant Pot. It is my newest discovery and I am loving the ease with which they can be cooked to perfection. I am so excited to share this authentic stove top recipe of the stuffed baby eggplants in my IP-DUO60 Instant Pot with a video! Continue reading “Stuffed Baby Eggplant – Instant Pot”→

Spicy tandoori chicken wings, grilled to perfection, are made with yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, garam masala, red chili powder and turmeric! I know chicken wings are not “healthy” but this is a healthier version of the typical deep fried wings. In my family, these piquant tandoori wings are a must while watching football on Super bowl Sunday. Continue reading “Tandoori chicken wings”→

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About Me

Hi, I'm Archana! I'm a techie by trade but chef by heart. Welcome to my world of home cooking, crafts and most importantly, family experiences. Here you'll get doses of my family's daily meals. My step by step recipes will help you easily transport the flavors of India, Thailand, China and all over the world from my kitchen to yours.